By John Rammas/ irammas@eurohoops.net
We rated the 18 teams – 10 being the highest grade – in five different areas that can reveal the ability of each team at the start of the season.
THE CRITERIA
The quality of the roster: What is evaluated here is the talent of all the players on the roster of every team and their depth at every position.
Chemistry: The big and fancy names do not always guarantee a good team. Even though it’s early and the teams are still trying to create their core, the chemistry that the players have between them is very important, as is the level of familiarity with their coach.
Status: The name and history of a team do not play basketball, but in crucial games sometimes the “weight” of the jersey can determine the outcome.
Transfers: In this particular category we evaluate the moves that were made in the transfer market and estimate the weakening or strengthening of a team.
How far they will go: Our assessment regarding the course of each team. The teams that are big favorites to get in the Final Four and win the title are graded with a 9, the teams that aim for an appearance in Cologne and have good chances of making it are graded with an 8, the teams whose big goal is to reach the playoffs with a 7, the teams that are expected to have a decent run with a 6, and those that are out of the running for qualification early on are graded with a 5.
This evaluation regarding the course and dynamics of every team has, of course, been developed before any official games have begun and thus it is expected to change throughout the season.
#18 FC BAYERN MUNICH
Quality of the roster: 6
Chemistry: 6
Status: 6
Transfer moves: 6
How far they will go: 5
Total: 29
FC Bayern Munich has the brand name, but are still looking for the success that befits it. For starters, Bayern would make do with any progress as long as it was something better than what they had last season, up to the point when it was canceled. Coach Andrea Trinchieri has shouldered this burden in what is his return to the competition with a new roster that features with a strong American element, but lacks Greg Monroe at center.
#17 LDLC ASVEL VILLEURBANNE
Quality of the roster: 6
Chemistry: 6
Status: 6
Transfer moves: 7
How far they will go: 5
Total: 30
LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne will rely on the know-how of the Parker family this season, two of them to be exact, since apart from Tony Parker on the presidential throne, now there is T.J. Parker on the team too. The 36-year-old rookie coach is called on to manage their numerous difficulties with an almost brand new squad; there were many changes made on the roster, aside from the fact that most of the newly acquired players have never played in the EuroLeague before.
#16 ZALGIRIS KAUNAS
Quality of the roster: 6
Chemistry: 6
Status: 6
Transfer moves: 7
How far they will go: 6
Total: 31
Zalgiris Kaunas didn’t mind finding themselves in tough situations under Coach Jasikevisius but he no longer lives here. His replacement, Martin Schiller aspires to continue his predecessor’s good work in what is a big challenge for him since he’s a rookie in the competition and also because the roster has undergone significant changes. The departure of Edgaras Ulanovas is perhaps the most important among them as it increases the burden of responsibility for newly acquired players like Patricio Garino if they want to have a season that will look like their recent ones.
#14 CRVENA ZVEZDA MTS BELGRADE
Quality of the roster: 6
Chemistry: 6
Status: 6
Transfer moves: 8
How far they will go: 6
Total: 32
Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade starts the new season renewed in almost every respect. New coach Sasa Obradovic has an almost entirely new roster, with Jordan Loyd among the focal points. This team may not be in a position to set any big goals, but Zvezda’s trademark competitiveness promises a run that will be full of thrills for everyone.
#14 ALBA BERLIN
Quality of the roster: 7
Chemistry: 7
Status: 6
Transfer moves: 6
How far they will go: 6
Total: 32
ALBA Berlin was the most fun-to-watch team last season, but their results were not as fun for them. Coach Aito Garcia Reneses is hoping he’ll be able to improve the situation somewhat with a revamped roster since alongside returning stars Peyton Siva, Marcus Eriksson and Luke Sikma the team added Jayson Granger and Maodo Lo. That said, there were significant departures as well, such as Rokas Giedraitis.
#12 TD SYSTEMS BASKONIA VITORIA-GASTEIZ
Quality of the roster: 7
Chemistry: 7
Status: 6
Transfer moves: 7
How far they will go: 6
Total: 33
You never change a winning team, unless we’re talking about TD Systems Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz. The Spanish team was crowned champion of the Spanish League and immediately afterward began an extreme makeover. The departure of Toko Shengelia was one of many and it remains to be seen whether newly acquired players such as Rokas Giedraitis and Tonye Jekiri can fill the gaps and implement Coach Dusko Ivanovic’s plan.
#12 PANATHINAIKOS OPAP ATHENS
Quality of the roster: 7
Chemistry: 6
Status: 7
Transfer moves: 7
How far they will go: 6
Total: 33
The changes in the management of Panathinaikos OPAP Athens marked the team’s offseason, but those were not the only crucial changes. Nick Calathes’s departure also signaled the end of an era and the team now counts nine fresh faces on the roster bringing both old (Nemanja Nedovic) and new (Marcus Foster) faces to the competition, plus a rookie coach (Georgios Vovoras). If the goal in previous seasons was to return to the Final Four for the first time since 2012, that goal has now been redefined.
#10 VALENCIA BASKET
Quality of the roster: 8
Chemistry: 7
Status: 6
Transfer moves: 8
How far they will go: 6
Total: 35
With four trophies since 2003 (2003, 2010, 2014, 2019) Valencia Basket is rightly considered the queen of the 7DAYS EuroCup. It’s just that the EuroLeague demands more from a team if that team wants to have a starring role and they’ve learned that in their participation in the top club competition. With the signings of players such as Martin Hermannsson, Klemen Prepelic, Derrick Williams and Nikola Kalinic alongside the returnees like Bojan Dubljevic, the new season begins more ambitiously than ever for Valencia.
#10 ZENIT ST PETERSBURG
Quality of the roster: 8
Chemistry: 6
Status: 6
Transfer moves: 8
How far they will go: 7
Total: 35
Zenit St Petersburg saw, suffered and are now hoping they’ve learned their lesson from last season, their first-ever in the EuroLeague. There’s no other way to explain their moves during the summer, with which they made sure to reinforce themselves on and off the court. Coach Xavi Pascual could not be feeling better after the arrivals of Kevin Pangos, Billy Baron, K.C. Rivers and Arturas Gudaitis, and just like the roster, the goal has been upgraded too.
#9 OLYMPIACOS PIRAEUS
Quality of the roster: 8
Chemistry: 6
Status: 8
Transfer moves: 7
How far they will go: 7
Total: 36
The cancellation of last season deprived Olympiacos Piraeus of the chance to make a comeback and compete for a return to the playoffs after a one-year hiatus. The beginning of the new season finds them trying to avoid playing catch-up. Additions like Kostas Sloukas, in his return to the team after five seasons, cannot allow for anything less, not when there are the veterans too: Vassilis Spanoulis, Georgios Printezis and Kostas Papanikolaou. All this against the backdrop of the significant departure of Nikola Milutinov, who joined CSKA.
#7 KHIMKI MOSCOW REGION
Quality of the roster: 7
Chemistry: 8
Status: 7
Transfer moves: 8
How far they will go: 7
Total: 37
The renewal of Alexey Shved’s contract stood out among Khimki Moscow Region’s moves in the free agency market, but this doesn’t mean that the other ones were not impressive. Take, for example, the addition of Greg Monroe to the frontline. The options Coach Rimas Kurtinaitis has for his lineup are more than enough as he aspires to pick up from where he left off last season when the season was canceled, which means aiming for a spot among the playoff teams.
#7 FENERBAHCE BEKO ISTANBUL
Quality of the roster: 8
Chemistry: 7
Status: 8
Transfer moves: 7
How far they will go: 7
Total: 37
Seven historic seasons under the instructions of Coach Zeljko Obradovic, including five consecutive qualifications for the Final Four and a historic title in 2017, came to an end for Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, which will continue with Igor Kokoskov at the helm and lots of new faces on the court. The legacy that everyone is called on to carry on is a heavy one, to say the least, especially since, aside from the coaching change, Kostas Sloukas, Nikola Kalinic and Luigi Datome are no longer on the roster either.
#6 MACCABI PLAYTIKA TEL AVIV
Quality of the roster: 8
Chemistry: 8
Status: 8
Transfer moves: 8
How far they will go: 7
Total: 39
Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv made quite a few changes to its roster in the summer, but despite that, the core of the team that spent most of last season among the top four teams in the standings has remained almost untouched. On top of everything else, Ante Zizic was also acquired in what is his return to the competition after three years. With Coach Ioannis Sfairopoulos on the bench for a third season, the goal is not just to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2015, but for something more.
#5 AX ARMANI EXCHANGE MILAN
Quality of the roster: 9
Chemistry: 8
Status: 7
Transfer moves: 9
How far they will go: 8
Total: 41
It’s kind of a now-or-never situation at AX Armani Exchange Milan, which made some dynamic moves in the transfer market and in adding Malcolm Delaney, Luigi Datome and Kyle Hines to the squad. With other important players like Sergio Rodriguez continuing on the roster and Ettore Messina on the bench for a second season, the goal of qualifying for the playoffs for just the second time since 2014 is the first of many.
#2 REAL MADRID
Quality of the roster: 9
Chemistry: 9
Status: 9
Transfer moves: 8
How far they will go: 9
Total: 44
The formula is tried and true in Real Madrid, which set out on yet another season with the highest ambitions. That makes absolute sense when one thinks of their brand name and the fact that the arrivals (Alberto Abalde and Carlos Alocen) and departures of players from their roster can be counted on one hand. And add Pablo Laso to the mix, at the helm for the 10th season, with six Final Four qualifications and two trophy wins so far to his credit.